A train of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway system. The rapid spread of the Wuhan coronavirus has pushed back the date of the 20-day trial run of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway in Hanoi City - PHOTO: VNA

HCMC - Many Chinese experts have yet to return to Vietnam for work due to the rapid spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, pushing back the date of the 20-day trial run of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway.

A representative of the Railway Project Management Unit, under the Ministry of Transport, on February 10 noted that as planned, on February 1, the project will start a 20-day operation run for inspection purposes, the local media reported.

However, over 100 Chinese experts have failed to return to Vietnam amid coronavirus fears, delaying the date of the trial operation of the railway, the representative said, adding that the Chinese experts are in charge of the trial operation.

Drivers and staff responsible for the planned trial run of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway in Hanoi City have been granted driving licenses and operation certificates. Vietnamese employees who had previously been trained to operate the urban railway are ready to participate in the trial operation.

During the 20-day test, the Chinese general contractor takes responsibility for verifying system safety and evaluating the capacity of all employees.

After being evaluated thoroughly, the project will be put into commercial operation if it is certified as safe.

The 13-kilometer Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway was designed to have 12 stations and one depot. The urban railway system runs from Cat Linh Station in downtown Dong Da District to the Yen Nghia Station southwest of Ha Dong District.